Today, spring greeted us with a snow storm as we finished our last day of service. TCC gave us the choice to either attend the group programs or spend time with some of the residents that we created especially strong bonds with. Most of us chose to play games with the whole group during the morning, not ready to say individual goodbyes.
For lunch, TCC ordered pizza from Nick's, the same place we had gone the night before, coincidentally. We gorged yet again on some of New York's best pizza, and received certificates from Tom McDonald thanking us for coming. Our Experience Leader Helen took pictures of each of us like the proud grandma she is.
After lunch, one of the therapists gave us a tour of the "specialty unit," where the disabled children are treated. TCC is somewhat unique because the patients in this unit don't "age out;" some of the patients stay into their forties. Although seeing the children was immensely sad, it was interesting to see how they live. Some of the children are capable enough to leave the hospital for school, and there were specialized therapy/play rooms where the children can get sensory stimulation. We toured the area during their nap time, so didn't interact with the children, but the tour was beneficial in helping us understand what TCC does and how disabled children receive care.
Finally, what we were all dreading: goodbyes. We each went off on our own for the last few hours of our day to spend some final time and say goodbye to the residents who touched us the most. I was able to finish a drawing I had been working on with a resident all week. After many hugs and a few tears, we were ready to leave TCC, each with the contact information we'll need to write letters or visit next time we're in New York. We walked back to the subway in the snow, checking out beautiful Central Park on our way.
In the evening, the group went to a Thai restaurant for the celebration dinner. Unfortunately, I was not feeling well and stayed behind, but Stephen (my co-blogger for today) went!
~Celeste
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